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Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent
by
Fred Burton
In this hard-hitting memoir, Fred Burton, a key figure in international counterterrorism and domestic spycraft, emerges from the shadows to reveal who he is, what he has accomplished, and the threats that lurk unseen except by an experienced, worldly-wise few. Plunging readers into the murky world of violent religious extremism that spans the streets of Middle Eastern citi...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
June 9th 2009
by Random House Trade Paperbacks
(first published 2008)
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Ghost had some interesting contents. For people who have read espionage 'nonfiction' there will be things everyone's read several times -- discussions of dead drops, brush passes, surveillance and evasion. There's a couple of intriguing passages that I haven't read anywhere else -- especially speculation about the death/assassination of Zia in Pakistan. And the book brings back a lot of memories about how we viewed terrorism in the 80s.
However, the book is short, and quite short on details, whi...more
However, the book is short, and quite short on details, whi...more
This book was fascinating. I never knew (probably because I was a kid) that Libya was such a threat to the US in the 80's. Very interesting to hear about the conflicts and attacks that continually popped up in the Middle East against the US. There was one chapter about India and Pakistan almost going to war when most of the Pakistani governing body died in a plane crash that I had never even heard about. The book is well written and gives a good overview of the DSS. (Special treat was near the e...more
At first the premise for the book seemed appealing. Hearing about the life of a counterterrorism agent directly from the source seemed appealing. Like all books written by intelligence officers, it is understood that certain things just cannot be said or talked about for fear of it affecting current operations. This is a real story after all. Still, I jumped at the chance to read it not really sure what to expect. What I got was a bit dissapointing. It's intriguing to see what the author goes th...more
I enjoyed this book as a reminder that trouble with terrorism did not start on 9/11 and that self-sacrificing heroes, known and unknown, are used for the security we can so easily take for granted. Looking at this world through the author's eyes, I think this book is somewhat impacted by his stiff personality and at least slight trend toward self-aggrandizement. At least the occasional Kennedyesque self-deprecation that he took his job seriously and not himself would have gone a long way.
The sec...more
The sec...more
"On my morning run, my chocolate Lab, Tyler Beauregard sets the pace..."
"When you join the Dark World, you must become unpredictable. Erratic. We must strip away all the conventions of our old lives and fade into the background. We've been trained. We've practiced. Today, I begin my life as a ghost."
"Our instructors warned us the KGB opens a file on every one of us new agents as soon as we graduate..."
"The world needs more cops."
"Only three out of every hundred who start the training get to the...more
"When you join the Dark World, you must become unpredictable. Erratic. We must strip away all the conventions of our old lives and fade into the background. We've been trained. We've practiced. Today, I begin my life as a ghost."
"Our instructors warned us the KGB opens a file on every one of us new agents as soon as we graduate..."
"The world needs more cops."
"Only three out of every hundred who start the training get to the...more
Where to begin with this book?
Fascinating content, candid description of how a the US counter-terrorism portion of the diplomatic service originally had 3 overworked agent, 2 of them fresh out of training. Interesting anecdotes about the writer's career.
However, two huge flaws:
(1) Cluttered writing
The author repeats himself ad nauseum - the type of warm jacket he wears, the car he drives, the fact that he sees the world as black and white and the nature of his work is shades of gray.
(2) No narra...more
Fascinating content, candid description of how a the US counter-terrorism portion of the diplomatic service originally had 3 overworked agent, 2 of them fresh out of training. Interesting anecdotes about the writer's career.
However, two huge flaws:
(1) Cluttered writing
The author repeats himself ad nauseum - the type of warm jacket he wears, the car he drives, the fact that he sees the world as black and white and the nature of his work is shades of gray.
(2) No narra...more
Excellent book and very well written. It made me grateful for guys like him: people who put the safety of us "average citizens" as their top priority. It was fascinating to hear accounts of big international events like Iran Contra, the '93 bombing of the WTC, and the hunting and capturing of terrorist leaders from a man on the front lines and "in the weeds". His writing style is easy to follow and enjoyable. I've been getting Stratfor reports now for years, so I've read plenty of his writing. I...more
This is the first book i've read this summer, it's really interesting and it's a memoir by Fred Burton, who was recruited in the DSS and was assigned to it's counter-terrorism branch. Fred Burton at the time was surprised because counter-terrorism wasn't that big of a thing back then in the 70's but then as you read through the book you could see the growth of counter-terrorism and how the tactics used evolved. And you can also see Fred's expertise increases. You will see how both Fred Burton an...more
This book is interesting for a couple of reasons, one of which is that the author is from the State Department's security service, rather than the FBI or the CIA. In that there is a unique perspective.
The book actually focuses on the pre-9/11 efforts to combat terrorism, and so takes us back to the days of American hostages in Lebanon, Libya and Iran's state-sponsored efforts, and in the author's opinion, some Soviet efforts against the Pakistanis. While not earth-shattering in any respect, the...more
The book actually focuses on the pre-9/11 efforts to combat terrorism, and so takes us back to the days of American hostages in Lebanon, Libya and Iran's state-sponsored efforts, and in the author's opinion, some Soviet efforts against the Pakistanis. While not earth-shattering in any respect, the...more
I enjoyed most of this book, a memoir by a former Diplomatic Security Service Agent. Mr. Burton writes in the crisp clear voice of someone who has been there done that and has the T-shirt to prove it.
In highlighting his career Mr. Burton adds depth to my memories of the newspaper coverage of those events but nothing that is really new. The downfall of the book is the last few chapters. In those chapters he falls into that seemingly all to common complaint the 'Bureaucracy' hinder us.
Not a must...more
In highlighting his career Mr. Burton adds depth to my memories of the newspaper coverage of those events but nothing that is really new. The downfall of the book is the last few chapters. In those chapters he falls into that seemingly all to common complaint the 'Bureaucracy' hinder us.
Not a must...more
Great book, if you want to know just how long we have been fighting the war on terrorism in America, here's your book. This man, who runs www.stratfor.com, was part of the second group of counter-terrorism agents. There was one man before him and countless have followed in his footsteps and protocols. This gave me an entirely new appreciation of the work our counter-terrorism agents have to do both at home and abroad. Highly recommended. The ONLY reason I gave this four stars was because it left...more
The writing style of this book is dry at times but the information it contains is very worthy of being read. It is so easy to be critical of the threat assessment processes that we hear about on the news. We grumble about the inconveniences caused us because of security screenings at airports. When the stark reality is that these hard working individuals are expected by us to be 'all knowing' and to catch terrorists before they are able to disrupt our lives. I can't imagine the stress of living...more
Fred Burton was a counterterrorism agent for the Diplomatic Security Service and was involved in investigating some of the worst acts of terrorism in U.S. history from 1986 to 1995.
In Ghost, he recounts three specific investigations: the Lebanon hostage crisis (later revealed as part of the Iran-Contra scandal), the bombing of PAK-1 which lead to the death of Pakistani President Zia, the Lockerbie bombing, and the hunt for Ramzi Yousef - mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and othe...more
In Ghost, he recounts three specific investigations: the Lebanon hostage crisis (later revealed as part of the Iran-Contra scandal), the bombing of PAK-1 which lead to the death of Pakistani President Zia, the Lockerbie bombing, and the hunt for Ramzi Yousef - mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and othe...more
Author Fred Burton reveals the sinister realities of the global counterterrorism game in a very serious, readable, unpretentious way. The book is devoid of the ego-tripping and grandstanding that a lot of these memoirs suffer from (i.e. books like "Jawbreaker" etc.).
I wasn't expecting tales of hair-raising takedowns of terrorists in some Beirut slum or gun battles with Iranian agents in some Middle Eastern embassy, so if you're some ignorant film junkie who thinks that's what counterterrorism is...more
I wasn't expecting tales of hair-raising takedowns of terrorists in some Beirut slum or gun battles with Iranian agents in some Middle Eastern embassy, so if you're some ignorant film junkie who thinks that's what counterterrorism is...more
Everyone remembers where they were on 9/11 when we came under attack. That moment in history will never be forgotten. Everything changed for America—and the world—on that day. The devastation hurled upon us by nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists was an act of war. Tragically, counterterrorism experts around the world knew terrorists would try to strike like this. Agents also knew they might not be able stop it. They were right.
Most of us will never know how many times potential tragedies like the World...more
Most of us will never know how many times potential tragedies like the World...more
The information presented is interesting and Burton has worked some major cases, which is the only reason I scored the book it as highly as I did. However, Burton is not a good writer. He is a self-congratulatory cowboy who uses cutesy nicknames ("The Dark World" for anything spy-related, for example) that make it hard to take him seriously. He doesn't try to present a nuanced view of terrorism. The terrorists are all bad, he is ostensibly all good, and that's the end of it as far as he's concer...more
May 26, 2012
Andrew
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
spy-military-espionage
An interesting look at the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). We always hear about the CIA, FBI, and even the Secret Service, but the DSS gets no press even though they operate in every country we have diplomatic ties to and with in the USA. Had Some insights into tradecraft such as how to stairstep to avoid surveillance, but nothing too enlightening. Additionally, the book seemed to have no climax and wasn't going anywhere as far as story. Then it kind of abruptly ended with the funeral of the...more
Meh - mildly entertaining, fast read. There are some interesting revelations here - not sure how good it is for one to know too much about what's going on in our security community, but don't worry as this only tells you a few good nuggets. Hard to get over Burton's self-congratulatory/important voice, though. His heroic tone and obvious need to make people aware of his formerly secret national security efforts is tough to get past. The book is full of platitudes.
Fred Burton sheds a lot of light on terrorism near the end of the Cold War in the late 1980's. It reads quick like a diary. The only thing was that the author throws around a lot of acronyms and spook lingo, but is inconsistent in translating for us civilians so you have to figure out (or look up) what he means. I've grown to appreciate the need for guys like Fred Burton and I wish I could buy the guy a drink one day to show thanks.
An interesting foray into the dark world of counterintelligence by a member of the DSS. They protect US diplomats and embassies, as wel as visiting dignitaries, and Burton was on the groundfloor of antiterrorist activities. It scares you when you see how ill-equipped we were to handle the emerging terrorist threats. This book focuses mostly on the 80s and early 90s: the hostage crisis in Lebanon, the Libyans, the assassination of Pakistani leader Zia, Lockerbie, and the first WTC bombing, and th...more
The first 3/4 of the book were great. Maybe even the first 85%, but the last few chapters sorta lacked a lot of detail and alluded to a lot of things that seemed to fit with more recent terrorist history. I would have liked the book to have continued on how the first 3/4 of it did with a more in depth look at the world of counterterrorism. Still a great read and great insight into the beginnings of counterterrorism.
I almost gave up on this one but, about a third of the way through, I became fully engrossed. After having finished it, I am glad to have read it. My understanding of the current situation in which we find ourselves when it comes to international terrorism is much more clear. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who doesn't have an interest in politics, law enforcement or international terrorism.
Nov 04, 2009
Lisa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in memoirs, government, intrigue
Shelves:
i-have-or-would-re-read,
best-of-the-best
Burton was one of the very first counterterrorism agents in the US. He believes that knowledge is power, so he talks about practical ways to make oneself safer in the modern world, as well as divulging a lot of juicy stories about his past experiences (which are no doubt now de-classified).
Burton now works in the private sector doing the same sort of work, making people safer.
Burton now works in the private sector doing the same sort of work, making people safer.
I thought it was an interesting read if a little sketchy on the details. I think it's something that a lot of people you are clueless on terrorism in the 80's should probably read for a bit of insight. There are probably better books for this kind of thing but I liked that it was written by someone who lived it. The pace was a little slow but not bad.
Fast paced and interesting. Spans most of the 80's and what counter intelligence meant then and how it developed while showing where holes were left open allowing 9/11, although he never directly speaks from a future standpoint that would address it. Considering this was written by a cop and not a professional writer, it is also remarkably well written.
Good book, especially if you want to see "behind the scenes" at some of the work done by special agents of the Diplomatic Security Service. The prose is a little plain - it's almost as if the writer were making notes in his police journal, rather than writing a story. That said, the content makes up for any of the other shortcomings.
If I could give this book a 3.5 I would. It started out very slow for me. But picked up later on. It was fascinating insight into the life of a spook and how the DSS as changed in the past couple of decades and why.
Good insights into the Iran-contra affair, first bombing of the WTC, and multiple plane bombings.
Good insights into the Iran-contra affair, first bombing of the WTC, and multiple plane bombings.
Nov 29, 2010
Courtney Milleson
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
common-reader-list,
eeh
I read this because of the AC Common Reader program's 2011 theme "9/11: Where are we now?"
It was a good start, but I tired of the cat and mouse approach to reading it. I did learn a lot about the 'Dark World' and really do appreciate the information in the book. I skimmed the last two chapters and cried in the epilogue.
It was a good start, but I tired of the cat and mouse approach to reading it. I did learn a lot about the 'Dark World' and really do appreciate the information in the book. I skimmed the last two chapters and cried in the epilogue.
Interesting book but it is pretty obvious he is talking himself up a lot. Yes, I am sure he was involved in the world events that he describes but he is making a mountain out of a mole hill. Read it if you are interested in the US Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security but realize it boarders on fiction.
I had high hopes for some real-life spy action in this book. There is some of that, but not enough to make it a thrilling read. It was interesting, and I learned some about the inner workings of the DSS. The author's clear conservative bias pulled me out of the text fairly often and was annoying.
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Feb 07, 2012 06:31am